s_sa_2017a_2017-02-13t13:35:55z3 Hearing Summary

Date: 02/13/2017

Location: SCR 357

03:30 PM -- SB17-118



Senator Fields, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 17-118 to the committee. Under current law, private occupational schools (schools) are required to provide program offerings and a schedule of tuition and fees to students. The bill expands the required information and requires that schools annually collect this information for each campus or location, and provide it to prospective students and the Department of Higher Education (DHE). The bill allows the Private Occupational School Board in the DHE to prescribe policies and procedures to collect the required information and determine on a case-by-case basis if the required information is unavailable or that the time frame for the disclosure is unreasonably burdensome. The bill requires that DHE use the information collected from schools to populate a free, online, comparative tool no later than July 1, 2018. Schools must provide any additional information required by DHE to populate the comparative tool, including student-level records that may help determine transfers and employment information. As part of its SMART Act hearing prior to the start of the 2018 and 2019 legislative sessions, DHE must report on the implementation of the bill.



Senator Fields provided a letter from the Workforce Data Quality Campaign in support of the bill to the committee (Attachment H).



17SenateState0213AttachH.pdf



03:35 PM -- Chaer Robert, representing the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, testified in support of the bill. She provided a handout to committee members (Attachment I).



17SenateState0213AttachI.pdf



03:38 PM -- Robert Martin, representing himself, testified against the bill. He responded to committee questions.



03:44 PM -- Karen McGrath, representing the Colorado Association of Career Colleges and Schools, testified against the bill. She responded to committee questions.





03:49 PM



Senator Fields presented amendment L.001 (Attachment J) and responded to committee questions about the amendment.



17SenateState0213AttachJ.pdf



03:51 PM -- Lorna Candler, representing the Division of Private Occupational Schools at DHE, responded to committee questions.



03:57 PM -- Christina Postolowski, representing Young Invincibles, testified in support of the bill. She provided a handout to committee members (Attachment K).



17SenateState0213AttachK.pdf



04:01 PM -- Frank Waterous, representing the Bell Policy Center, testified in support of the bill and provided a written copy of his testimony (Attachment L). He responded to committee questions.



17SenateState0213AttachL.pdf



04:07 PM -- Alison Friedman, representing the Women's Foundation of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.



04:11 PM -- David Ortiz, representing the United Veterans Committee of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

04:15 PM



Senator Fields wrapped up her presentation of Senate Bill 17-118.